Who Is Great Design For?

Denmark. Japan. Sweden. Germany. Finland.

These are among the most design-conscious and design-aware cultures in the world. Does that mean that beautiful objects only come from these design-focused locations? No, not at all, but a greater percentage of all consumer products in these countries are derived from designer-led processes, as opposed to being purely market-led or profit-driven.

And, ironically, it’s that deep integration of design thinking and design execution that has provided such products with the widest global market adoption.

You can see that design-consciousness at every scale, from everyday objects to luxury goods to broad civic systems. Homewares. Lighting. Furniture. Clothes. Cars and, yes, home design.

Design in the most design-aware cultures isn’t seen as an add-on or an upgrade. It’s intrinsic. It’s assumed that good design is the starting point and, often, a public right. Both the end products and the processes that crafted them are deliberate.

In the US housing market, however, the role of good design has really lost its way.

There are plenty of beautifully-designed properties, but too often they’ve been sequestered to the upper reaches of the buyer pool. Good design is positioned as an amenity or an optional upgrade, not a given: the domain of the most well-to-do to enjoy and for everyone else to aspire to, but never really get access.

That’s a problem.

Don’t believe me? Check out your area’s home listings and read some property descriptions. Find the homes that say they’re “architect-designed,” or that they were “renovated by a known interior designer,” or that it’s “artfully crafted by a designer.” Check the premium on the cost per square foot on that listing against everything else. If it’s a decently executed project, the difference will be stark.

Should beautiful design come with increased value? Of course it should. But should thoughtful design executed by a professional be a complete luxury? We don’t think so.

One of our core objectives at HUTS is shifting the perception (and pricing) of remarkable home design from aspirational to accessible. Our home design products give our clients an incredibly-thoughtful starting point. Our process of delivery is a better-designed approach to ensure that the intent can be fully realized by real people that have real-person budgets.